Necrology

Richard Herbert May '57

Feb. 19, 1935-Jan. 4, 2024

Richard Herbert May ’57 died on Jan. 4, 2024, in Wilmington, Del., where he had been born on Feb. 19, 1935, and lived most of his life. He came to Hamilton from the Tower Hill School.

On the Hill, he was a member of the Emerson Literary Society and graduated with honors in English literature after experiencing a chemistry course his freshman year that led him to believe a medical career was not for him. 

From Hamilton, Dick proceeded to Cornell Law School, attributing his admission (despite having failed a German class) to the letter of reference provided by Dean Winton Tolles.

Dick returned to Wilmington following the completion of his law degree in 1960 and became the sixth attorney in, as he put it, the “fledgling law firm” of Young, Carnaway, Stargatt & Taylor. Forty years later, the firm employed 60 lawyers. Shortly after returning home, he met Jean Moore, a graduate of the Ohio State University and an occupational therapist. They were married on Sept. 15, 1962, and would have a son and a daughter.

In his 50th reunion yearbook, Dick described the course of his career: “At first, I did just about everything that came through the door including trial work (both plaintiff and defendant), divorces, wills, real estate settlements, and even some court-appointed criminal defense. As the firm grew, I became a partner and began concentrating on commercial real estate transactions, ultimately specializing in representing institutional lenders.”

His professional reputation led to his election to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. For a period, he was also an officer of the Delaware State Bar Association and served a term as president of the Delaware Lawyers Fund for Client Protection. 

Dick was active in the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Wilmington and was an officer in the city’s community housing organization. For a time, he was on a committee overseeing a Boy Scout troop.

In 2000, Dick retired as a senior partner after 39 years working for Young, Carnaway. Thereafter, he immersed himself in a variety of activities. Outdoors, his interests were skiing and fly-fishing. Indoors, he enjoyed classical music and opera (indeed, following his death, his family asked that donations be made in his memory either to the Delaware Symphony Orchestra or Opera Delaware). He also continued his hobby of building historic ship models.

He was active in the local Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, not only taking classes in economics, understanding racism, and the Dada movement, but also teaching literature classes, including courses on Paradise Lost, The Aeneid, and James Joyce. He also facilitated a book discussion group. After he and Jean moved to Cokesbury Village, a retirement community in Hockessin, Del., in 2010, he both edited and contributed to Cokesbury’s literary journal. It may be assumed that the foundation for all of these contributions was laid on the Hill in his literature classes.

The influence of another class, a creative writing course taught by Edwin Barrett, was reflected in a collection of short stories he published in 2021. Dick’s collection of 17 short stories is titled Writing for the Defense: Tales of Twists and Turns.

Hamilton’s enduring impact was summarized in Dick’s 50th reunion yearbook, in which he honored the following professors: Edgard “Digger” Graves (history), Edwin Barrett (English), John Blyth (philosophy), Paul Parker (art), and George Nesbitt (English). He noted: “At my retirement, a colleague described me as a ‘Renaissance Man.’ I found this characterization extravagant but congenial. I hope that it is at least a little bit true, and if it is, I owe it in large part to my Hamilton experience.”

That experience led to his generous support of the College as a Joel Bristol Associate. With his wife, he established a gift annuity in 2007.

Richard H. May is survived by his wife, daughter, son, and granddaughter. 

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